1. Statement of the Technical Field
The present invention relates to the management of third party guest services for a telephone subscriber, and more particularly to the management of third party guest services based upon call processing provided in a public switched telephone network (PSTN).
2. Description of the Related Art
The intelligent network of today bears little semblance to the PSTN of old. In fact, the term “intelligence” has little to do with the operation of the conventional PSTN. Rather, the conventional PSTN of old incorporates a massive complex of switching matrices and transport trunks that, through the electronic equivalent of “brute force”, forge the interconnections necessary to call completion. More particularly, for decades for every call processed the PSTN relied upon each successive switch to route a voice signal to the next. Still, the modern volume of calls processed within the conventional PSTN demands a faster, more streamlined approach to call routing.
To overcome the elements of the brute force aspect of the conventional PSTN, physically separate signaling networks have been grafted upon the transport and switching PSTN elements to oversee call set-up and billing. These “out-of-band” adjuncts speed routing data and commands directly to the switches involved, establishing all the necessary links prior to the actual transmission of a call. Consequently, with “out-of-band” signaling the PSTN has become “conscious” of the operations it is to perform prior to their execution. As a result, the PSTN has become a more flexible beast, capable even of substantial logic.
The development of the “out-of-band” protocol, Signaling System 7 (SS7), has led to the widespread deployment of intelligent network technology. In SS7, signaling links transmit routing packets between switches. Consequently, specialized SS7 Signaling Transfer Points (STPs) appeared to shepherd routing messages from local switches onto a high-capacity packet switches for distribution to other switches, STPs and call-related databases, such as the Line Information Database (LIDB), the Local Number Portability (LNP) database, the Toll Free Calling database and other databases containing guest information or additional call routing instructions. And, so, the agility of high-speed computer networking began exerting control over the raw power of the PSTN.
The marriage of convenience between SS7 and the PSTN soon produced the Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN)—an architecture where centralized databases control call processing. Logic ported via STPs to select switches now have become widely distributed throughout the network. AIN-capable switches also have begun to function as interactive signaling-platforms. Equipped with resident software triggers, AIN capable switches now can halt a call in progress long enough to query Service Control Points (SCPs), databases containing service logic and subscriber information which can provide instruction as to how to route, monitor, or terminate the call. The PSTN of today now effectively includes long-term memory as well as intelligence. Accordingly, the modern local exchange carrier holds the means to deploy such advanced telecommunications features such as telephone number portability, wireless roaming, call waiting and a host of other subscriber options.
The LIDB is a database configured for coupling to the PSTN through an SCP. The LIDB typically includes amorphous records arranged to store information regarding telephone callers, such as the business name of the caller, the address of the caller, billing information for the caller, and the like. By storing invariable information regarding the caller, such as the name, address and billing method, many intelligent telephonic services can be provided over the PSTN through a simple query to the LIDB. In this regard, several local exchange carriers have deployed independent LIDB access services to facilitate the deployment of intelligent telephonic services which can exploit the invariant information stored within the LIDB.
Despite the wealth of information associated with a telephone caller stored in the LIDB, the LIDB seems to remain an untapped resource suitable only for advanced telephony billing applications. Accordingly, many conventional inconveniences remain prevalent in the world of the call center and in the guest service industry. For instance, oftentimes a services guest such as a hotel or restaurant or theater guest (to name but a few) will attempt to manage the extent of the services provided to the guest by contacting the guest services provider. The management of the guest services can range from determining a time when the services are to expire, to specifying the particulars of the service such as seating, to extending the duration of the services provided by the services provider.
As the telephonic modification of the terms of service provided to the guest can be difficult to authenticate without visually viewing the guest, the service provider can be cautious and usually permits management of the guest services only through a trusted form of communications such as through an interactive television in a guest room, or through an internal telephone network which is private and, hence, trusted to the services provider. When contacting the services provide outside of the premises, however, the services provider (or an agent for the services provider) can require the guest to produce ample evidence of the identity of the guest. Generally, the evidence can include name, home address, phone number, social security number, reservation number, account number, billing address, credit card number, credit card authorization code, a PIN code, and countless other forms of identifying information.
Of course, for the typical services guest, access to this type of information can be difficult, particularly when the guest cannot access the requisite paperwork. As a result, services guests are forced to speak with several layers of guest service representatives without a guarantee that the guest will be successful in managing the guest services at issue. In consequence, guests can become irritated conversing with one or more guest service representatives, an interactive voice response system, or both simply to provide identifying information sufficient to manage the guest services.